Gaming Confessions: Schadenfreude

Whenever I am feeling sad or depressed I know there is one thing that will always cheer me up, and that is good ol’ fashion schadenfreude. For those that don’t know what I mean, schadenfreude is happiness at the misfortune of others (Thank you Wikipedia) For those more musically minded I have even composed a song (not really but check out YouTube for an Avenue Q song about this)

Now before you judge me too harshly or think that I am an awful person, I should explain that while I will take pleasure at the misfortune of others, I only take joy on those occasions where the misfortune is self inflicted. Thankfully the Internet is full of such examples which help pass the time when I am bored*cough*of course I would never access any of these sites when I am at work as that’s against the rules *cough cough*

Some of my usual online haunts:

1. The Darwin Awards: A site which tells the stories of those who help humanity evolve as a species by accidentally removing themselves from it

3. Xbox Forums: Whoa hold your horses there; I’m not starting a fan boy war. It’s not the entire Xbox forums or its user base (I’m one of them) but a sub-forum. The one for account suspensions and console bans. This is one of my favourites; it is page after page of people proclaiming their innocence. Some people construct well written and coherent arguments in their defence while others use what I can only assume is a combination of Leet speak and Text message abbreviations. There are even some that look and read like pure rage has exploded onto a keyboard. Regardless of the argument almost every single time there is one solitary post from the enforcement team saying you broke the rules you are still banned/suspended. Some enforcers seem to copy and past the Xbox Live Terms and Conditions, others will actually say what aspect you actually violated. Either way it is always good for a chuckle.

Maybe schadenfreude is the wrong term for that last one, I am enjoying the misfortune of others but the feeling of joy comes from knowing that someone gets their comeuppance rather than at their misfortune.

If you are feeling down or depressed, join me and together we will laugh at the world.

On a somewhat related note; if you want to know more about the Xbox Live enforcement team and how they do their job then listen to this podcast from PAX East (via Major Nelson)

About Stewart Loosemore (Stigweird85)

I'm pretty much the living Embodiment of Jeff Albertson(that's comic book guy from The Simpsons)
I'm into gadgets, games, graphical novels and pretty much geek stuff in general. I'm the type of guy who goes around wearing a wifi detector t-shirt.
I know a lot of random useless trivia and often excite(bore) people with it.
For all my fellow nerds out there:
Han shot first.
Gonzo is NOT an alien
Elvis isn't dead he just went home.

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